For anyone who had started wondering where Kaydee went, Big Bear delivered a welcome answer Wednesday morning. Kaydee is back with Shadow, and she did not seem interested in keeping her distance for very long.
After spending time out of camera view, the young eagle appeared near the nest tree on September 9. Shadow soon headed for the Lookout Snag. Kaydee moved through the branches for a short time before making her next move. She flew over and joined him.
There they sat, Shadow on the left and Kaydee on the right, sharing the familiar Big Bear morning from the same snag. And for eagle watchers who have become understandably nervous whenever one of them disappears from view, it was quite a sight.
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Kaydee Is Back With Shadow After Worry Began to Grow
The morning actually began with Shadow. He woke in the Roost Tree as ravens filled the area with their calls. Shadow eventually added his own voice to the morning soundscape with several chortles.
Then came the sight many people had been hoping for. Kaydee flew past the Roost Tree and landed in the lower branches, or “basement,” of the nest tree. She was still here.
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That alone probably would have been enough to ease some worried minds. But the morning was just getting started.
Shadow continued chortling before leaving the Roost Tree and flying to the Lookout Snag. Kaydee moved around the branches near the nest tree, but she did not stay there for long. Her next destination was the same place Shadow had just gone.
Shadow and Kaydee Settle In Together on the Lookout Snag
Kaydee flew to the Lookout Snag and landed beside Shadow. The two bald eagles then remained there together for roughly half an hour. There was no nest dispute. No stick wrestling and no disagreement over personal space. Instead, they perched side by side and exchanged chortles while looking out over Big Bear Valley. It was a much quieter interaction than some of their recent nest visits, but perhaps that was part of what made it so enjoyable to watch.
Kaydee has repeatedly sought out the same familiar trees and perches Shadow uses. She has visited the nest, joined him in the Roost Tree and Twin Pines, followed him between perches and spent increasing amounts of time nearby.
Now she had returned after being out of camera view and once again found her way directly to him. It does not tell us what Shadow and Kaydee will eventually become. But it does add another morning to a growing collection of moments between them.
A Little Shower of Feathers Steals the Scene
Then Shadow provided one of the morning’s cutest moments without even trying. He gave himself a good rouse, shaking and fluffing his feathers. Suddenly, tiny white downy feathers went floating through the air around both eagles.
Shadow and Kaydee are molting, so loose feathers are part of the process. Birds replace old or worn feathers through molt, allowing new feathers to grow in their place.
For a few seconds, however, the scientific explanation took a back seat to the scene on camera. Little white feathers drifted around Shadow and Kaydee as they sat together on the snag, and Kaydee appeared to notice one that floated her way. Apparently, even molting can have impeccable timing.
Then Shadow Left and Kaydee Was Right Behind Him
Their peaceful morning together eventually came to an end. Shadow launched from the Lookout Snag first. Kaydee followed almost instantly.
There was barely time to register that Shadow had left before she was in the air behind him.
It has become one of the more interesting patterns to watch between these two. Kaydee has repeatedly followed Shadow after he leaves a perch, sometimes only seconds later.
Where they went after leaving the Lookout Snag was theirs to know. Later, Shadow appeared on the Twin Pines. Kaydee may have been somewhere else in the valley, nearby or farther away. The cameras only show a tiny portion of the habitat available to them. That is worth remembering whenever either eagle seems to “disappear.”
Out of Camera View Does Not Mean Gone
Big Bear Valley contains countless trees, perches and areas the eagle cameras simply cannot see. Shadow has demonstrated that for years. Now Kaydee is doing the same.
An eagle can vanish from every camera angle without leaving Big Bear at all. She may be perched nearby, hunting, exploring another part of the territory or simply sitting in a tree that happens to be outside the cameras’ reach.
That reality has not stopped people from worrying. And after what happened with Jackie, perhaps that is understandable.
Jackie’s loss changed the way an empty branch can feel.
A routine absence that once might have caused little concern can suddenly carry more weight. People who watched Jackie and Shadow for years experienced something painful and unexpected, and those emotions do not simply disappear because another eagle has entered the picture. That is also why Kaydee’s return brought so much relief.
Kaydee Does Not Have to Replace Jackie to Bring Joy
Seeing Kaydee back with Shadow does not erase Jackie from this story. It should not. Jackie spent years beside Shadow at this nest. She raised eaglets here, defended the territory, weathered storms and became inseparable from the Big Bear story for people around the world.
That history remains. But missing Jackie and enjoying Kaydee do not have to compete with each other. There is room for both.
Kaydee has brought a different energy to Big Bear. She is curious, persistent and sometimes wonderfully awkward. She moves sticks, explores the nest, follows Shadow from tree to tree and continues finding her way back into camera view.
Most importantly, she keeps showing up.
What that eventually means for Shadow is something only time can reveal. There is no need to rush the story.
For Now, Things Really Did Look Better Together
September 9 gave Big Bear eagle watchers something simple. Shadow on one side of the Lookout Snag. Kaydee on the other.
Chortles traveling through the morning air.
A small cloud of white feathers drifting between them.
And when Shadow finally decided it was time to go, Kaydee was almost immediately in the air behind him. No one knows yet what the coming fall and winter will bring for these two.
But after a few anxious days of wondering where Kaydee had gone, seeing her beside Shadow again provided something many people needed.
A little relief.
A little happiness.
And another reason to keep watching.
The Friends Of Big Bear Valley make this live cam experience possible. This video was recorded by Lady Hawk on youtube(see video).
Is Kaydee back with Shadow at Big Bear?
Yes. Kaydee returned to camera view on September 9 and later flew to the Lookout Snag, where she perched beside Shadow for about half an hour. The two also exchanged chortles before eventually flying off.
Why were people worried about Kaydee?
Kaydee had spent time out of camera view, which made some eagle watchers wonder whether she had left the Big Bear area. However, the cameras only show a small portion of the habitat, and there are many trees and perches the eagles can use beyond camera range.
Did Kaydee follow Shadow when he left Lookout Snag?
Yes. Shadow flew from Lookout Snag first, and Kaydee followed almost immediately afterward. She has repeatedly been seen following Shadow between familiar perches around Big Bear.
Are Shadow and Kaydee becoming a pair?
It is still too early to know. Their increasing time together, shared chortles and Kaydee’s tendency to follow Shadow are interesting behaviors to watch, but they do not yet confirm that Shadow and Kaydee have formed a pair bond.
Why were feathers falling around Shadow and Kaydee?
Both eagles are molting. When Shadow roused and shook his feathers on Lookout Snag, several small downy feathers came loose and floated around them. Molting is the normal process birds use to replace old or worn feathers.